M2 MacBook Air price increase vs Windows Laptop price increase

[Gelam]

Do you think the M2 MacBook Air price increase is the same as the overall market price increases?

I was shopping some gaming laptops back in January this year, and the price of laptops all increased 30-40% or more compared to 2020 (right before the corona pandemic) with the same level of configuration.
So say GTX1070/RTX2070 laptops in 2020 vs RTX3070 laptops in 2022.

Keep in mind the M1 Air did not drop in price as well after the M2 came out, when apple usually will decrease the previous gen prices.

 

[1BadManVan]

Meh, not quite as much as a price hike as Apple. Dave2D put out a video yesterday about this actually, that because apple upped their prices so much this year, and windows laptops made some head way in performance, that more brands felt confident sending in units to review against apple.

It’s a tough one, I feel there’s way more value based windows laptops out there than apples but once you factor in the build quality, they get pretty pricey as well.

 

[NotApplicable]

At the end of the day I’d imagine the number of consumers cross-shopping Macs and PCs is vanishingly small…

 

[jav6454]

Yet those laptops from Windows partners are powered by crap Intel chips with horrible battery life and subpar performance versus even an M1.

 

[mr_jomo]

Did a bit of research over here in the €-zone, when deciding on a mac or a Windows laptop this cycle. Using Dell as comprison:

M1 Air vs XPS 13 'regular' - Apple is on par price and performance for base models.
M2 Air vs XPS 13 Plus - The Dell starts with 512 GB SSD at the same price, making me think the M2 is maybe USD 50-100,- above its optimal asking price in base config? Once you start adding options, the price difference vs benefits equation gets more murky and it becomes a wash more or less.

EXSUM: M1 Air is still competitive, M2 Air a bit overpriced.

 

[Bodhitree]

Well I won’t need a new computer for a good while. I might eventually need a new laptop but thats some years in the future. Don’t buy it unless you need it is my motto!

 

[leman]

M2 Air vs XPS 13 Plus - The Dell starts with 512 GB SSD at the same price, making me think the M2 is maybe USD 50-100,- above its optimal asking price in base config? Once you start adding options, the price difference vs benefits equation gets more murky and it becomes a wash more or less.

The 1299 Dell comes with a low-res display and a 1240p which is slower than M2. If you want a high res display you have to pay 1599. M2 Air with 512GB is $100 less, and still has faster CPU and much faster graphics.

 

[Velin]

Hard comparison to draw any conclusions, because Apple's SOC is just so much better than the x86 garbage stuffed in Windows portables.

I was shopping some gaming laptops back in January this year, and the price of laptops all increased 30-40% or more compared to 2020 (right before the corona pandemic) with the same level of configuration. So say GTX1070/RTX2070 laptops in 2020 vs RTX3070 laptops in 2022.

Gaming laptop is one purchase I don't understand. You pay a fortune for watt-throttled GPUs and the "compact" form factor. Yet these machines usually are bulky, the battery life sucks, and the fans are super-loud -- basically, the worst traits you would want in a portable computer.

Wouldn't you be much, much better off, both financially and use-case, with a cloud-gaming solution? You could have a GTX-3080 rig from Nvidia for I think $19 a month. By the time your gaming laptop is outdated and ready for the trash heap in a couple years, you will have spent much less with a cloud solution.

 

[Maven1975]

It’s going to be permanent. Apple has jacked the prices across the globe.

In the US, they have had to increase employees pay and have had shops unionize.

Their margins aren’t going to stay fat if they don’t raise pricing.

Unlike most PC vendors, Apple WILL tax you on each and every device they sell without mercy. No coupons, flash sales or any of those PC type discounts.

It’s an interesting place for the M1 series. The bulk of M1’s were already negotiated, bought and paid for prior to the pandemic economy.

Looks like going forward, tag another $200 on almost everything.

 

[VaruLV]

The 1299 Dell comes with a low-res display and a 1240p which is slower than M2. If you want a high res display you have to pay 1599. M2 Air with 512GB is $100 less, and still has faster CPU and much faster graphics.

Mr_jomo is talking about pricing in eurozone, we have rather different prices and availability as well, so not sure your post applies to what he said.
Base M2 1499€ to 1549€, 512GB M2 1849€ to 1899€.
Dell XPS laptops also, at least in my region, have been very expensive when compared to other countries, expensive and rare.

As for original posters thoughts - yes, I have noticed that in last 2 years laptop makers have jacked up prices considerably. Laptops that would cost 1000-1200€ are now starting at 1400-1600, might not be the best example, but Asus Rog G14 comes to my mind, first two generations could be had for about 1000-1200€ starting, but now, latest model with Ryzen 6000 starts from 1700 around my parts.

Last year and this year laptop mfgs have also announced planned price increases, so it's no surprise.
What surprises me is that it's not, say HP Spectre or Microsoft Surface premium lineups that now cost as much as MacBooks do, it'd also other series and other companies increasing prices to premium levels with not always premium features or longevity.